


Reunited, But Abruptly Disrupted and Dismissed

by TheWanderingMaiden



Series: The Summoners' World [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Bitterness, Forced Bonding, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Not Beta Read, Soul Bond, Summoning, Summons & Summoning Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 00:04:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15012329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWanderingMaiden/pseuds/TheWanderingMaiden
Summary: It has been over a decade since they have last seen each other, and the search has seemingly ended at a small toy shop. The old man at the counter greets his guest, but then hostility suddenly appeared when "The Ritual" is mentioned.Or: A one-shot of a series I have planned involving a fantasy/historical world filled with Summoners and their Summoned monsters.





	Reunited, But Abruptly Disrupted and Dismissed

The chiming of the bells resonated across the small toy store as a tall, light-skinned man with purple hair wearing purple and blue robes holding a green rod opened the door and entered the building. On the shelves of the display cases contained many statues and figurines of warriors, spellcasters, fiends, dragons, and angels. In the middle of the store were tables that held many game boards in different terrains. There were numerous charms hovering in the air hanging from display chandeliers that easily swept with the breeze that came when the guest opened the door. There was a young boy who looked to be ten with green skin and red eyes wearing a blue and white waistcoat sweeping the floor, his bangs covering his left eye. Next to him was a girl around the same age as her male counterpart, however, she had a pale complexion and donned the reverse color scheme on her robes. They both wore hats that complemented their outfits but seemed a bit too large on their heads. They looked at the guest and bowed in greeting. The man stared and nodded his head in response. He then turned to the counter, where he heard soft humming of a song that he had not heard in years.

Across the store was a countertop in which was occupied by an old small man with extremely extravagant hair features multiple layers including long blond crooked, pointy locks for his fringe; the rest features a set of five large spikes and two smaller spikes colored black with a magenta sheen along the edges. He wore very crumpled yet clean robes as if was laundered by hand and dried outside. The old man in question was focused on braiding a charm strap with red yarn when the door open. He looked up to the guest and had a shocked reaction before quickly softening to a gentle gaze. When the old man finally spoke, it was with a tender tone that was used to direct a dearly loved one:

“It has been a long time, my friend.”

The guest stiffened at the owner’s tone but quickly regained composure. 

“Indeed it has…:

He hesitated before whispering in a soft voice almost that one could not hear if not paying attention.

“Master.” 

The old man smiled and responded playfully as if it were normal banter between the two.

“How many times have I told you, Mahad? Just call me Yugi.”

Mahad stammered in embarrassment. 

“Of..of course! Forgive me, Master Yugi!”

Yugi sighed in resignation, knowing that some things will never change. “Close enough. How are you, Mahad?”

Mahad smiled slightly in relief before responding, “I am doing well and am serving my duties to His Highness to the best of my ability.”

Yugi chuckled.   
“That’s good to hear. It has been years since we last met, hasn’t it? How is His Highness, anyway? He seems to be a very lax summoner since you are here without his presence.” 

 

Mahad froze at that statement and struggled with what to say about his new Summoner. He felt something inside of him squirm in discomfort as the surrounding atmosphere grew dark and unfriendly. He felt as if he wanted to retreat as soon as possible, but he had a mission to complete and cannot leave until he succeeded. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, debating on how to word his next sentence correctly so that there would be no hostility in the next few seconds.

“His Majesty wishes an audience with you.”

Yugi’s expressions turned cold and hardened with distrust and anger at that statement. Ever since transferring Mahad to the King almost a decade ago, Yugi felt as if a bit of himself suddenly disappeared. Granted, he knew of the consequences of transferring a Summoned but reliving the pain constantly after letting go of such a deep bond lead to very harsh reminders on how desperate he was at the time. This wound especially cut deep, especially since Mahad was one of his most trusted, not to mention the first, Summoned being Yugi ever had in his whole lifetime. It was something that he promised himself would never do again. When he spoke in response, it was filled with bitterness.

“I am afraid I’ll have to decline on that.”

Mahad grew weary of the tone of voice, knowing that the only other time it was used was on the day of his Transference. The bond between him and Yugi was severed, even though Yugi agreed to it. It felt very rushed and forced and he never got to come to terms with the atmosphere of the Transference ritual. However, once His Majesty Summoned had him do battle, it felt like he gained a purpose again. The bond between him and His Majesty was filled with Synergy and eventually, he gained a new pupil as well. However, despite all this, Mahad was aware that His Majesty has had a very strong interest in Master Yugi and, after Yugi left the palace, searched far and wide just for his presence again. If he were someone else he would have thought this interest-no...obsession, was unhealthy. However, the bond between him and Master Yugi never fully disappeared despite the...painful ordeal that would usually lead to it to be destroyed. The inclusion of His Majesty’s bond and His desires only strengthened the former so much that he would obey immediately with full support if there was anything involving Master Yugi. Desperate to fulfill His Majesty’s wishes and his own as well, Mahad decided to push further into this matter.

“May I ask why?”

Yugi’s eyes began to flare in anger. Mahad always knew his inner thoughts and feelings by asking questions. Rhetorical or not, these said questions always lead him to answer to his earnest heart’s content and now that temptation has appeared again!

“It is none of your business.”

That was a lie. The relationship between him and the King ended not just because of breach of trust, but also the fact that Mahad, his greatest friend, was caught in the middle like a puppet. He needed to escape from this situation, and so quickly glanced at the young children. They noticed and surrounded Mahad from each side. The boy suddenly revealed a huge sword that was nearly his size and raised it at him, while the girl had a staff that started to glow. Mahad looked at them in shock, not realizing how fast they moved and stumbled to the ground. The boy raised his sword at his neck and looked at Yugi for further commands. The girl created a spellbinding circle that prevented Mahad from moving and did the same as the boy. Yugi then spoke:

“Escort our guest off the store. He is not interested in buying anything.”

They nodded as the girl made Mahad stand up still trapped in the circle. The boy extended his sword so that the blade hit the guest’s neck. They then forcibly lead him to the door. However, Mahad quickly turned to Yugi.

“Wait! I just want to know something!”

Yugi held his hand up to signal the children to halt. They did, but the not-so-hidden hostility in the atmosphere did not fade. Mahad was given this last chance to complete his objective. He spoke in a loud, clear voice.

“Tell me, Master Yugi. Why is it that you refuse an audience with His Majesty when it is the highest honor anyone could ever receive? Why do you refuse the opportunity to live as other powerful summoners do: in permanent luxury and constantly basking in praise of the masses? Why...why do you refuse to reconnect the bond between us? It has not disappeared, so we can fix it.”

Yugi sighed as he walked towards his old friend. Mahad stood still, although he did inhale deeply as he waited anxiously for the answer. The cold voice nearly tore through his soul as his former Master responded.  
“When I was forced to do that ritual with the King, I felt that bond severe so much that it took me years to recover from the trauma. Our bond now is merely a phantom of what it used to be, and I refuse to reconnect it because I refuse to be in that position and situation again. Besides...there are those here who need me more than the masses ever would.”

His gaze softened at the last sentence, breaking Mahad’s heart. Has he been replaced? He looked at the two children, whom he had noticed never talked throughout the whole ordeal. He understood that they were Summoned as well, but them not having any voices to speak with was very peculiar. They had blank stares as if they had seen more than they have to at their age. He looked at Yugi straight in the eyes and realized that they had the same blank stare as well. He couldn’t help but feel jealous, yet sorrowful, of what has happened the year after the Transference Ritual. He nodded his head in understanding, as he got the answer he came for. 

“You can call off your Summoned, Master Yugi. I’ll leave now.”

Yugi nodded to the children and they let Mahad go. Mahad quickly exited out the door and flew back to the kingdom, content in a bittersweet way. He decided to keep the location secret from His Majesty, as the life his former Master is living seems to have given him a reason to live a happy life. Maybe one day the bonds between them will reform, and perhaps he will be at his Master’s side once more. In the meantime, he will serve his duty to The King for as long as he is able to.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I am back with a new work (and hopefully a new series) in which has a fictional world I created for a fandom I grew up on ever since childhood. I hope you all enjoy this series, as I hope to post at least once every two weeks for this series. Any comments and critiques are welcome, and I hope to see you guys soon! Thank you!
> 
> -TheWanderingMaiden


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